Shadows Of The Past
by Fifilla
Summary: ... he knew that something was terribly wrong when he suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps right behind him... - Are you ready for some Halloween mystery?
1. Chapter 1

**Shadows Of The Past**

**Disclaimer:  
**Unfortunately I don't own anything of Hawaii Five-0, it all belongs to CBS. But I keep dreaming…

**Notes:  
**English is not my native language, so please forgive me my mistakes.

**Thanks:  
**As always a huge thank-you to **JazzieG**, my wonderful beta reader, for the super-fast betaing – don't know what I'd do without you!  
**rewob17**, thanks for all the discussions about the plotline and for the title suggestions, without you I'd probably never finished this story in time before Halloween!

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"You are certainly not afraid, are you, Danno?"

Danny Williams stared at his partner, narrowing his eyes when he studied the bright smirk on the taller man's face. He watched silently how the Ex-SEAL slowly crossed his arms in front of chest; the corners of Steve's mouth twitched slightly when he returned Danny's gaze with an unblinking eye. His words hung heavily in the air between the two friends and Danny cocked his head a little bit to the right while he thought about a fitting answer.

"No Steven, I'm certainly not afraid," Danny finally replied with an exasperated roll of his eyes and some sweeping gestures that accompanied his following rant. "I'm certainly not afraid to go downstairs and search that huge dusty cellar for any hints of our lovely old friends, even if they have been clever enough to leave this pineapple infested hellhole months ago and I'm one-hundred percent sure…" He interrupted himself briefly to shake his head and raise his right index finger before he continued forcefully, "In fact I'm absolutely and completely sure that we'll find no new hints because HPD already searched this damn place from top to bottom. Twice, if I remember correctly."

The house they were just starting to search belonged to John Miller, one half of the infamous Miller Gang. He and his brother Jack – who had lived in the house next-door where Chin and Kono were trying their luck right now – had robbed countless jewelers over the last thirty years in at least 23 different U.S. states. The two brothers, both in their mid-fifties, had settled down on Oahu after their last big coup about eighteen months ago but they had hastily left the island when Five-0 had taken over the case and had almost tracked them down. John and Jack Miller had apparently left behind everything they owned, but neither Five-0 nor HPD had been able to find even the tiniest trace of where they had gone – or where the swag from their many robberies was hidden.

"We already searched that musty hole of a cellar the last time we were here and there was nothing, I repeat, nothing at all that gave us a clue about where John and Jack are hiding," Danny resumed his rant, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he angrily stared at his partner who was nonchalantly leaning against the doorframe, his arms still crossed in front of his chest.

Steve's gaze briefly flickered downstairs toward their subject of discussion when he noticed a faint movement out of the corner of his eyes. Squinting he tried to identify any of the gray and black shapes but the long steep staircase disappeared into an all-consuming darkness and he quickly abandoned the attempt when heard Danny take a deep breath next to him.

"Are you done now?" McGarrett asked gleefully as he turned his attention back to his partner, the shadowy movement quickly waved aside.

"Am I done now?" Danny replied agitatedly, briefly circling his hands through the air before he stuffed the left one back in pocket. "Yes, you jerk, I am done," he exclaimed, pointing his right index finger right into his partner's face, fully aware of the fact that he was invading Steve's personal space. "The only thing I have to do is tell you that…"

"Oh good," Steve interrupted him mid-sentence, still grinning when he pushed Danny's hand out of his face. "Because I thought you were just buying time to convince yourself that you're not afraid."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, stop acting like a nine-year-old," Danny puffed out, impatiently elbowing Steve away to reach the light switch at the head of the staircase. He flipped the switch from up to down but nothing happened, the staircase remained in the dark, only illuminated by the daylight that shone faintly through the dirty kitchen windows and the small backyard door.

Danny heaved a deep sigh and threw McGarrett an exasperated look as if it was entirely Steve's fault that the light wasn't working. He tried the light switch a few more times, vigorously flipping it up and down but the effect was the same as before.

"Great, just what I need," Danny muttered grumpily under his breath, wishing nothing more than to finally wipe that smirk off his partner's face. "You don't have a flashlight in one of those many pockets of your cargo pants, do you?"

"No," Steve said with a suppressed little laugh, curiously watching Danny's desperate attempts to get the light to work. "But we have one in the car – do you want me to get it?"

Slowly turning around to face the taller man, Danny finally stopped mistreating the innocent light switch and once more waved his hands through the air. He was just about to start another rant when the two friends heard a faint cracking sound from downstairs and a heartbeat later the old lamp at the head of the staircase flickered to life, barely illuminating half of the stairs.

Thinking back to their last visit to the Miller house Danny remembered that there was a second switch at the foot of the staircase and without another word he gritted his teeth and started to climb down the creaking wooden stairs.

"Have fun, Danno," Steve called after him in a sing-song voice, bursting out laughing when he saw the Jersey cop raise his hands to wipe some dusty cobwebs from his face. "And don't hesitate to call when it gets too scary downstairs."

"Bite me, Steven," Danny said pointedly as he turned around to his partner and flipped him off, which caused the smirk on Steve's face to become even brighter. The two friends looked at each other for a long moment until Danny silently shook his head and murmured a few unintelligible words before he meekly continued his way downstairs.

Neither of them noticed the faint shadow that scurried away from the foot of the stairs or the similar shadow that quickly retreated from the backyard door.

**(tbc)**


	2. Chapter 2

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Still chuckling good-humoredly, Steve watched how Danny slowly walked downstairs until he had reached the second light switch at the foot of the staircase. Different from the first one the lamp downstairs went on immediately and bathed the cellar in a faint orange color. Even from his place at the top of the staircase Steve could clearly see the myriads of dust particles that danced in the dim light and he unconsciously rubbed his nose that started to tickle when he just thought about all the dust in the air.

Thinking back to the conversation with his partner, Steve grinned slightly; he was pretty sure that Danny wasn't afraid of the dark or of a little bit of dirt, but it was just so much fun to tease him about it. Danny was the last one who hesitated to get his hands dirty if a case demanded it. Steve had seen his partner digging through tons of dirt to rescue a busload of children or jumping into a muddy pit to get to a kidnapped little girl but he also knew how much the Jersey cop cherished his neat and clean attire. So it was just double fun to make him search the dusty cellar and Steve congratulated himself for his fantastic idea.

"Are you going to stand there forever and stare down at me, Steven, or will you finally get your ass in gear and start searching your part of the building?" Danny's voice sounded muffled from downstairs, even if the man himself was nowhere to be seen. "Or maybe you're afraid, all alone in that huge house?" he added sarcastically, causing Steve to snort in amusement before he finally turned around and left the kitchen.

Heaving a little sigh, Steve slowly looked around and tried to decide where to start his search. To be honest, he was just as certain as Danny that they wouldn't find anything of importance but he refused to give up that early.

Slightly shaking his head he set off for the bedroom and the small bathroom at the other end of the building, planning to work his way back to the kitchen and the adjacent living room. He estimated that Danny would be done with the cellar at about the same time he had finished the first floor so they could move on together to search the messy backyard and the little tool shed.

Quickening his steps he crossed the small distance between the kitchen and the bedroom; totally oblivious to the shadowy figure that silently followed him through the dim corridor, Steve pressed down the handle and tried to open the door, but he didn't manage more than a few inches before it got stuck with a loud creak. Raising his eyebrows Steve tried his luck a few more times before a feral little smile crept across his lips. He quickly took a step backwards and then rammed his right shoulder forcefully against the wayward door.

Half falling and half stumbling into the bedroom when the door finally gave in surprisingly easily, Steve immediately shrank back when he took in the horrible stench, a mixture of rotten food, feces and some other stuff he wasn't able to identify. Contorting his face in disgust, he raised his right arm and covered his mouth and nose in the hope of keep off the terrible smell but it was to no avail.

The pungent smell brought tears to his eyes and he coughed reflexively; hastily turning around he bent forward and stuck his head out of the door and into the corridor to take a deep breath of fresh air. At this moment he would have gladly switched places with Danny, convinced that whatever the other man encountered in the dusty cellar, it certainly couldn't be worse than this.

Preparing himself, Steve took another deep breath and stepped carefully further into the room. He had barely reached the small window to let in a bit of fresh air when a fast movement to his left caught his attention and he turned his head just in time to watch a large rat disappearing under the bed.

Steve wasn't able to suppress a small shiver at the sight of the gray-brown rodent; rats were definitely not his favorite kind of animal and he would give everything he had if he never again came in contact with one of them.

Trying to ignore the rat as well as the horrible stench, McGarrett looked around for anything useful, for any hint that might indicate where the two Miller Brothers had disappeared to or where they had hidden the stolen diamonds. Steve pulled two black disposable gloves out of his pocket and slowly slipped them on, starting to meticulously search the whole room. The gray-brown rat curiously watched his every movement from its place under the bed while it hectically nibbled at a large piece of moldy bread.

For the next fifteen minutes Steve looked into every corner of the messy bedroom, opened every drawer and even rummaged through the garbage that covered the floor; he was so immersed in his task that he didn't see the large shadow in the corridor that repeatedly passed the open door. He also failed to notice that the rat had suddenly dropped its meal and had quickly retreated to the far end of the room where it hastily disappeared through a small open slit in the wall.

He just looked up when the door behind him suddenly started to move with a faint creak and then snapped shut with an ominous click.

* * *

Disgustedly wiping the dusty cobwebs from his face, Danny walked proudly down the stairs and tried to ignore Steve's low chuckle that followed him all the way downstairs and into the dirty cellar. The second light switch at the foot of the staircase fortunately worked without problems and as soon as Danny had switched it on, a lonely light bulb in the middle of the room flared to life.

Quickly disappearing out of Steve's line of sight, Danny once more scrubbed his hand over his face to get rid of the last sticky threads of the spider's web he had stepped into on his way downstairs. They were still clinging to his hair and now to his fingers and he stared down at his hands for a long moment before he breathed out a defeated sigh and wiped them on his dark blue dress pants.

He listened carefully to any sound from upstairs but when he didn't hear his partner leaving, Danny sighed once more before he called out loudly, "Are you going to stand there forever and stare down at me, Steven, or will you finally get your ass in gear and start searching your part of the building?" He just knew that Steve was still standing at the top of the stairs, probably congratulating himself for his 'great' plan of sending the stupid city slicker into the dark, scary cellar. Grinning smugly to himself, Danny couldn't help but add sarcastically, "Or maybe you're afraid, all alone in that huge house?"

Now it was Danny's turn to congratulate himself because soon after he had finished his sentence he heard a faint snort and then Steve's fading footsteps. He waited another short moment until he was sure that his partner had really gone to work; then he slipped on a pair of disposable gloves and slowly turned around his own axis.

Slightly shrugging his shoulders Danny decided that it really didn't matter where he started, so he just picked one of the many shelves that were stuffed with tools, empty jam jars, old tattered books and lots of other useless things and set himself to work. He meticulously looked into every single one of the jam jars, lifted every book and opened every closed box, but just as he had already guessed he found nothing new about the Miller Brothers.

The light bulb above his head suddenly flickered tiredly a few times, causing Danny to give it a brief scowl but after a few seconds the lamp seemed to have calmed down. The Jersey cop threw another scrutinizing look at it before he resumed his work and rummaged the remaining shelves.

Danny was just on his way to the old wardrobe that stood in one corner of the cellar when he heard a faint creak, obviously coming from the kitchen upstairs. He hesitated briefly and looked back over his shoulder but the noise didn't recur so he blindly continued his way to the wardrobe, where he stepped directly into another spider's web; this time with its eight-legged owner still sitting in the middle of it.

Cursing loudly he angrily wiped his face for the second time that day, unintentionally brushing away the small black-brown spider. Apparently being offended by the rough treatment and the destruction of its masterpiece, the small animal rappelled from Danny's shoulder and slowly disappeared between two empty cardboard boxes.

The faint creak Danny had heard only moments ago repeated itself a little bit louder and this time it seemed to come from the other end of the room. Stopping dead in his tracks, Danny reflexively held his breath and tensed his muscles when he felt more than he saw a sudden movement behind his back. Without another second of hesitation he quickly whirled around while his right hand dropped down to his weapon. He almost expected to see his crazy SEAL partner standing right in front of him, bursting out in laughter about the fact that he had been able to sneak up on him.

His eyes quickly skimmed through the room and Danny finally breathed out a small sigh of relief when he found and heard nothing suspicious; he loosened the grip around the butt of his weapon, convinced that his mind had played a trick on him. He almost laughed out loud when he thought about his exaggerated reaction; there was really nothing to worry about – except maybe the shadowy figure that slowly disappeared back into the darkness, soundlessly and completely hidden from Danny's view.

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"Very funny, Danno, really very funny," Steve murmured quietly to himself while he stared at the closed door for a long moment, thinking about his next actions. He had whirled around after the door had snapped shut behind his back and had quickly come to the conclusion that his partner was probably trying to play tricks on him.

"Better be prepared for the payback," McGarrett smirked, a smug little smile slowly creeping across his face; Danny was certainly not the only one who had a few surprises up his sleeve.

Soundlessly tiptoeing to the door Steve placed his right hand on the handle and took a deep calming breath before he swiftly pressed down the handle and tore open the door, hoping to catch the other man red-handed.

Well, at least that was his plan.

But once more the wayward wooden door stubbornly remained shut, this time not even opening a few inches.

Angrily gritting his teeth, Steve pushed down the door handle a few times – very similar to Danny's action earlier that day when he had tried to get the light switch to work – but just like before absolutely nothing happened. Almost expecting to hear his partner breaking out in laughter at the other side of the door, Steve reluctantly removed his hand from the door handle and slightly cocked his head, listening carefully to any indication that Danny was waiting outside.

Raising his eyebrows when he heard not a single sound, he tried the door handle one more time and to his utter surprise the door opened smoothly with a faint little creak as if nothing had happened.

"That was really funny, Danno," Steve repeated a little louder as he stepped out of the bedroom and looked out for his partner, furrowing his brow in confusion when he found the corridor completely deserted. For the blink of an eye he thought that he had seen a shadow where the corridor opened into the kitchen but when he narrowed his eyes and took a closer look there was nothing to be seen.

"Danny?" McGarrett called loud enough that his voice easily reached down to the cellar.

"What's up, Steven?" Danny's reply came almost immediately and judging from the muffled tone of his voice he really was still downstairs. "Don't tell me you're afraid and need me to hold your hand."

Grinning about his partner's sarcastic questions, Steve shouted back cheerfully, "Nah, I just wanted to make sure that you didn't wet your pants, all by yourself in that scary cellar." The strange behavior of the bedroom door or the shadowy movement from before were soon forgotten when Steve immersed himself in the familiar banter with his friend.

"Hilarious," Danny answered drily and Steve was almost able to hear how the other man rolled his eyes at his remark. "I'm almost done here; you better get a move on up there."

Not wasting his breath to come up with a fitting answer, Steve grinned good-humoredly and turned around to re-enter the bedroom before he moved along to the next room, planning to close the window he had opened a few minutes ago to reduce the terrible smell. He barely contained a frightened little squeak when the same large rat from before suddenly scurried in front of his feet and disappeared under the bed.

"Dumb little animal," he cursed angrily, trying to calm his throbbing heartbeat. He knew that his fear of rats was rather irrational but he just couldn't help his feelings. He clearly remembered that one time in the jungle when his SEAL team...

His dark thoughts were interrupted when once more the door snapped shut with a loud bang; at the same time Steve felt a cold breath of air behind him and he involuntarily rubbed the back of his neck when a small shiver ran down his spine.

The old holey curtains at both sides of the open window flapped slightly in the gentle breeze from outside and Steve was suddenly sure that he now knew the reason why the door had closed on its own. Almost laughing to himself he tried to ignore the large rat that was curiously watching him as he stepped forward, quickly closing the open window before he turned around to leave the room. On his way to the corridor he threw the gray-brown animal a last disgusted look which was answered with an indignant little squeak before the rat completely retreated into the shadows under the bed.

Leaving the messy bedroom behind, Steve closed the door behind him and crossed the dim corridor, heading toward the adjacent bathroom. He remembered from their last visit to the Miller house that the room was tiny, containing nothing more than a walk-in shower in one corner, a toilet and, hidden by the open door, a wash basin underneath a small wall cabinet. Assuming that he barely needed two minutes to search the room, Steve stepped into the bathroom and carefully looked around for anything unusual. There was no shower curtain and the only place where something could have been hidden was the small cabinet, so Steve swiftly closed the door behind him to have enough space to work.

Looking into the dirty cabinet, McGarrett let his gaze travel across the shelves, quickly adjusting his time estimate when he found them completely empty - two minutes were definitely far too long for this tiny room.

A slight flapping sound to his left suddenly caught his attention and when he turned his head he saw that the closed toilet lid moved rhythmically. Briefly staring at the lid in utter surprise, Steve involuntarily drew in a sharp breath of air when he realized what was probably causing the movement. He absolutely knew that he didn't want to take a closer look but his right hand moved almost on its own and before Steve knew what was happening he had lifted the lid.

Staring in horror at another gray-brown rat, smaller than the one in the bedroom, Steve was greeted with a cacophony of shrill squeaks. The mother rat threateningly rose to its hind legs, revealing a flock of tiny, naked baby rats.

Dropping the lid, Steve stumbled backwards until he bumped against the wash basin, unconsciously wiping his sweaty hands on his beige cargo pants. Grimacing in disgust, McGarrett wanted nothing more than to leave the room as fast as possible but when he placed his hand on the door handle he noticed a faint shadow in the gap under the door.

Furrowing his brow, Steve shoved the ugly rats to the back of his mind and listened closely to any sound from outside, but just like before he heard absolutely nothing. He just thought about calling out for his partner when he weakly heard Danny's voice from downstairs.

"Oh, this is funny Steven. Really very mature."

A little alarm clock started to shrill in Steve's head at the sound of Danny's words - something was definitely not right.

Placing his right hand on the butt of his weapon he quietly opened the door and cautiously peeked into the corridor. Finding it empty, he quickly glanced to the left and right before he stepped out of the bathroom and tiptoed toward the kitchen, trying to find out what had caused Danny's little comment a few moments ago.

The frown on Steve's forehead deepened when he reached the end of the corridor and glanced into the kitchen. The heavy old door that lead into the cellar was closed and McGarrett could faintly hear Danny's muffled voice from the other side, probably ranting and swearing about the situation he was in right now.

Steve had absolutely no idea who had shut the door and locked up his partner but he knew that something was terribly wrong when he suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps right behind him.

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The lamp over Danny's head flickered for the umpteenth times in the last few minutes and he sighed in exasperation, throwing the dusty light bulb an angry look. He was almost through with searching the cellar and he just hoped that the light kept on working for another few minutes.

So far he had found nothing useful and he seriously doubted that he had more luck with the old cardboard moving boxes in the darkest corner of the cellar. The boxes were piled up in three wobbly stacks that looked like they would collapse if he just looked at them and sure enough, as soon as Danny carefully reached for the topmost box, the whole stack tumbled down with a loud rattling sound.

Having expected something like that Danny managed to jump out of reach just in time. Most of the boxes seemed to be empty but one or two of them obviously contained some heavy pots and pans and Danny was more than glad that the rusty old stuff didn't land on him.

Crouching down he quickly looked in each and every box to make sure they were really empty before he picked up the scattered crockery one after the other and threw them back into one of the boxes. Pensively twiddling with the last of the pans Danny held his breath when he suddenly felt a movement behind him.

Something cold brushed his hair and neck and Danny couldn't prevent the shiver that ran down his spine. His heart literally skipped a beat before it restarted with double speed, hammering painfully against his ribcage.

Tensing his muscles he tightly clutched the heavy pan he was still holding in his right hand, ready to whack whoever was trying to sneak up on him over the head with it. Taking a deep breath, Danny whirled around, not caring at all that he probably looked absolutely ridiculous with the threateningly raised frying pan.

"Danny?"

Steve's voice was not coming from behind him or from somewhere else in the cellar but Danny heard it muffled from upstairs. So whatever he had felt – or thought he had felt – a moment ago, his partner certainly had nothing to do with it.

"What's up, Steven?" Danny quickly yelled back, not wanting to give the other man the impression that something was wrong. He lowered the hand with the pan, slightly embarrassed about his reaction and more than glad that his team wasn't around to watch him. His heart was still beating much too strong and fast and his hands actually trembled a little bit from the sudden adrenalin rush. Trying to calm himself he took another deep breath and added with a smug little smile, "Don't tell me you're afraid and need me to hold your hand."

The grin on Danny's face grew bigger when Steve actually needed a long moment before he came up with a fitting reply. "Nah, I just wanted to make sure that you didn't wet your pants, all by yourself in that scary cellar." Steve's voice was much too gleeful for Danny's liking, causing him to roll his eyes about the comment.

"Hilarious," he answered drily as he tossed the useless pan in one of the empty cardboard boxes, turning around to watch the remaining two piles of boxes and estimating the time he needed to search them. "I'm almost done here; you better get a move on up there."

When there was no other witty remark from upstairs, Danny breathed out a little sigh and squared his shoulders, turning around toward the last few boxes. From the corner of his eyes he noticed a fast movement and without further warning the second pile of cardboard boxes suddenly started to collapse. Barely having the time to raise his arms over his head Danny tried to parry off the worst of the impact but nevertheless the onslaught of boxes brought him to his knees.

"What the hell…" Danny groaned out after the last box had finally tumbled down, shaking his head like a wet dog as he slowly struggled to his feet. He grimaced in pain when he stretched his aching back where the majority of the boxes had hit him but as far as he could tell there were no severe injuries and he would probably get away with a few bruises and a wounded pride.

Sneezing a few times when the blown up dust from the old boxes tickled his nose, Danny briefly fancied a nice cold beer, and right now he wouldn't even mind enjoying it somewhere outside under the blazing Hawaiian sun; anything was better than staying in that damn cellar just a minute longer.

But giving up was not an option, so Danny closed his eyes and silently counted to ten before he heaved a deep sigh and slightly shrugged his shoulders. He could almost see light at the end of the tunnel – or rather at the end of the cellar; there were only a handful of boxes left to search. Danny would be damned if he didn't bring his task to an end and most of all he wouldn't give Steve the satisfaction of seeing him fail.

Speaking of said partner, Danny raised his eyebrows and shook his head when he heard faint footsteps from upstairs, immediately assuming that Steve was trying to play a prank on him. Danny snorted in disbelief, a bright grin slowly creeping across his face; Steve's approach was suddenly not very SEAL-like and he rubbed his hands in gleeful anticipation when he thought about the moment in the future when that fact would come in handy.

The footsteps from above suddenly stopped and for the length of a heartbeat Danny heard absolutely nothing – then there was a dull bump and all the lights in the cellar went off.

"Oh, this is funny Steven. Really very mature," Danny called out as he cautiously stepped over the scattered boxes all around him. There was only a faint stream of light coming from the kitchen, barely illuminating the first few steps of the staircase and Danny cursed under his breath when he tripped over one of the items on the floor and almost fell to his knees.

He just stretched out his right hand and reached for the wooden banister when the heavy old cellar door slowly started to move and almost soundlessly clicked shut.

"Oh come on, you can't be serious," Danny huffed out in exasperation, staring wide-eyed into the pitch-black darkness, his right hand tightly clutching the banister. He waited a few seconds for Steve to reopen the door and stare down at him, laughing loudly at his partner, but for some reason that scenario never took place.

Frowning angrily when nothing happened, Danny gritted his teeth and started to search for the light switch at the foot of the staircase. He sighed in relief when he found the switch after only a few seconds but the happy feeling soon disappeared when the cellar remained dark, no matter how often he flipped the switch up and down.

"That figures!" Danny murmured under his breath, briefly banging his fist against the wall in utter frustration before he groped around for the banister and carefully climbed up the stairs until he finally reached the door to the kitchen. In his mind he already plotted his revenge, swearing to himself that Steve would pay for his little prank.

"I hate him, I hate him so much," Danny said into the darkness, not caring at all if Steve could hear him at the other side of the door. Stretching out his hand he easily found the door handle, but when he tried to press it down, the stupid thing didn't move one bit.

Angrily rattling the handle a few times Danny finally abandoned his attempts to open the door and pensively sucked at his lower lip as he thought about his next actions. He knew that he'd never hear the end of it if he called for help so that was definitely not an option.

Carefully turning around Danny sat down on one of the stairs, breathing out a relieved sigh when the muscles in his aching back slowly relaxed. He tiredly rubbed his hands over his face and almost laughed out loud when a sudden inspiration hit him; congratulating himself to his fabulous idea, Danny grinned brightly as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Chin and Kono. He was sure that the cousins would gladly help him out of his awkward predicament.

Switching the small device on, Danny squinted in the sudden brightness when the screen flared to life. Blinking rapidly he scrolled through his contacts until he found his teammates; he was just about to press his thumb onto the display when he suddenly heard the sound of raspy breathing directly next to his left ear.

The noise literally froze the blood in his veins as Danny sat stock-still, his eyes wide open in shock and surprise. He noticed too late that the cell phone slipped from his numb fingers, its lights going off when it clattered down the stairs, leaving Danny once more in complete and utter darkness.

**(tbc)**

* * *

Next chapter tomorrow :-)


	3. Chapter 3

Steve needed only a split second to react to the noise behind him. His instincts and his training kicked in instantly and in one swift move he drew his weapon and whirled around, aiming his gun at whatever poor soul had tried to sneak up on a highly-decorated Navy SEAL.

"What the hell…" he muttered in surprise, frowning angrily when he found the corridor completely deserted, but then his eyes narrowed dangerously when he noticed a shadowy movement at the end of the corridor, retreating hastily into the small bathroom.

"Got you," Steve murmured smugly, throwing a quick look over his shoulder to ensure that his back was covered before he quietly approached the bathroom.

Noticing that the door to the bedroom was still closed he didn't waste another thought on that room but completely concentrated his attention on the tiny bathroom. Taking a deep breath he readied his weapon and kicked the door open, aiming his gun directly at the shower in the corner, knowing that this was the only place in the small room which was big enough to hide a man.

"Five-0," Steve shouted, but his voice trailed off when he saw that the room was completely empty. Never lowering his weapon he frowned in confusion, briefly looking behind the door to make sure that there was indeed no one in the room.

Turning around he felt his heartbeat quickening when his gaze fell on the bedroom door which had been closed moments ago but was now suddenly wide open. McGarrett tightened his grip around the butt of his gun and quickly peered left and right into the corridor before he stepped closer to the bedroom and moved into a good strategic position.

"Five-0," he repeated loudly and firmly, the tone of his voice clearly showing that the time for games was up. "Whoever you are, show yourself. Step out into the corridor with your hands raised above your head."

Angrily gritting his teeth when he got no answer, Steve once more looked left and right before he cautiously entered the bedroom, quickly and effectively checking every corner of the room until he was sure that nobody was there. Shaking his head in confusion he hesitantly lowered his weapon only to yank it up again when he saw a movement to his left.

"Damn rat," McGarrett exclaimed hoarsely, pointing his gun at the innocent gray-brown rodent that defiantly stared back at him and squeaked offended before it hastily disappeared through the open slit in the wall. "Next time I'm gonna shoot you," Steve called after the animal, swearing to himself to carry out his threat, no matter what.

Trying to release some of the built-up tension, Steve took a deep breath and briefly rubbed his left hand over his face. He slowly lowered his right hand with the weapon, nervously tapping it against his thigh over and over again. He was sure that he had heard footsteps and had seen a movement at the end of the corridor; and even if those two things had only been figments of his imagination, the closed door to the cellar that had his partner locked up downstairs was definitely real.

A strong sense of foreboding flooded his mind when he thought about all the strange things that had happened since he and Danny had entered the house and without further hesitation he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call for backup. Scrolling through his contacts, Steve had soon found what he was looking for and was just about to dial Chin's number when the door in front of him suddenly started to move as if by magic.

The next few things occurred so fast that Steve later wasn't able to tell what exactly had happened. He raised his right hand with the weapon at the same time as he rushed forward and stretched out his left hand that was still holding his cell phone, trying to prevent the door from closing. His fingers just grazed the edge of the door when said door suddenly bounced back without warning.

The cell phone was knocked from his hand and landed with a dull thud somewhere behind him but Steve hadn't much time to think about it because the door didn't stop its movement and due to his exceptionally unlucky position it hit him square in the face.

Stumbling backwards, Steve's left hand flew to his nose as he tried to deal with the sudden, unexpected pain; he groaned hoarsely when tears flooded his eyes and he blinked rapidly to keep the open door in sight. The pain almost brought him to his knees and he needed all his willpower to breathe through the worst of it until he was finally able to hesitantly touch his nose which luckily didn't seem to be broken. Running his tongue across his lips he tasted a little bit of blood but otherwise he had apparently escaped unscathed.

Standing there rooted to the spot for quite a while, panting heavily and aiming his gun at the open door, Steve finally relaxed a little bit when nothing else happened. Keeping his concentration on the door and on any movement from the corridor, he quickly looked around for his cell phone, intending to carry out his original plan and call for backup.

Steve needed almost a full minute until he spotted the small black device under the bed directly next to a large piece of moldy bread. He screwed up his face in disgust, just bending down to pick it up when he heard again the sound of footsteps.

Tensing his muscles, he felt a surge of anger rushing through his body and knew it was time to try out a different approach. Forgetting about the cell phone he once more ran his tongue across his lips and spat out a little bit of blood before he readied himself and stepped out into the corridor.

Silently closing the door behind him he checked every corner of the corridor and the tiny bathroom with cold efficiency, slowly moving toward the kitchen. Whoever was trying to play games with him was now either there or in the adjacent living room and Steve would make sure to catch that somebody before he could do more harm.

"Five-0," McGarrett repeated his former demand once more as he stopped at the door between the corridor and the kitchen, his voice cold and sharp with barely contained anger. "For the last time, whoever you are, show yourself. You have five seconds to step out with your hands raised above your head."

"Steve?" Danny's voice came muffled through the closed cellar door and Steve could hear his partner hectically stamping up the staircase. "Steve? What's wrong? Open the damn door and get me the hell out of here!"

"Danny, you alright?" Steve yelled back when he noticed the breathlessness and the hint of panic in his partner's words.

"I'm fine, but get me the hell out of here," Danny replied, emphasizing his request by banging his fist against the heavy old door.

"I'm right there, just a…" McGarrett answered but his voice trailed off mid-sentence when he heard a noise in the corridor behind him.

He took only a split second's time to wonder how on earth he could have missed something before his fingers tightened around the butt of his gun and he turned around – only to face once more a completely empty corridor.

The noise he had heard moments ago was gone but now the sound of shuffling footsteps echoed through the kitchen and Steve felt something cold brush his hair and the back of his neck. He shivered involuntarily as he prepared himself for the upcoming fight. Tensing his muscles he whirled around in one swift movement, but whatever plan he had in mind was once and for all settled when something heavy connected with his face.

Steve heard a loud crunch and felt white-hot pain spreading through his entire skull; warm blood was flowing freely from his smashed nose and he knew instantly that this time the bone was broken. He heard Danny yelling his name through the closed cellar door but at the moment he needed all his strength to just stay upright and defend himself. The edges of his vision darkened dangerously and he wasn't able to prevent that he dropped to his knees. Slightly shaking his head to clear his vision, Steve supported himself on the blood-spattered kitchen wall, sluggishly struggling back to his feet.

Blinking rapidly against the gray mist in front of his eyes, he hectically looked around to make out his attacker. Swaying on his feet Steve noticed a shadowy movement to his right and he instinctively trained his gun in that direction but the weapon was pushed from his numb, trembling fingers and clattered to the floor in front of his feet.

Already sensing the next attack Steve knew he hadn't the strength to fight back so he simply ducked away and raised his arms to protect his head; but he wasn't fast enough and the next blow hit his right temple with a vengeance.

His last coherent thought before he collapsed on the floor and darkness claimed him was that the next time he would gladly switch places with Danny and voluntarily search the cellar himself.

* * *

Danny's heart hammered painfully against his ribcage and his whole body trembled from the sudden adrenalin rush; he stared wide-eyed into the darkness, holding his own breath as he strained his ears. He knew that there was nothing else but a wall on his left side, so he had certainly just imagined that sound of raspy breathing, right?

He didn't know how much time had passed but when he heard nothing else than his own shallow breathing, he gathered all his courage and slowly stretched out his left hand. Puffing out a hysterical giggle when his fingers came in contact with the cold wall, Danny chided himself for his vivid imagination and most of all for his clumsiness. His cell phone was the only way out of that damn, pitch-dark cellar and without it he had no option but to wait for Steve to end his prank and put him out of his misery.

Breathing out an exasperated sigh, Danny rested his elbows on his knees and tried to find a more comfortable position on the well-trodden wooden stairs. Tiredly rubbing his hands over his face he braced himself for a long wait, already going through the epic rant that he had planned for his crazy partner.

"Come on, Steven, that's enough," Danny exclaimed impatiently after a few more minutes in the darkness, slightly leaning back to bang his fist against the heavy cellar door. "You've had your fun, now open the door."

Waiting for an answer, he cocked his head a little bit to the right but instead of Steve's voice he heard once more the raspy breathing from before. Jumping to his feet, Danny shrank back in horror, instinctively waving his arms through the air to fight off his invisible enemy. Hastily stepping back as far as possible, he missed one stair in the thick darkness and without being able to see a thing he lost his balance and landed heavily on his backside.

Danny's feet slipped off the stairs and he reflexively reached out for the banister to keep himself from falling, but his fingers grabbed nothing but thin air and before he knew what happened he skid down the whole staircase, bumping painfully from one stair to the other.

After what seemed like an eternity he had finally reached the bottom of the staircase and came to a halt with a hoarse groan. Cursing under his breath he carefully stretched his legs and rolled his shoulders; but except for his backside that hurt like he had just got a good hiding he luckily seemed to be unharmed.

Remembering the reason for this unexpected ride down the stairs, Danny hastily struggled to his feet and turned around so that his back was leaning against the wall, ignoring the broken light switch that was uncomfortably pressing against his spine.

Despite the total darkness he closed his eyes and tried to stand completely still as he took in his surroundings, listening closely to everything that happened around him. Just like the first time, the strange sound he had heard upstairs didn't recur but this time Danny was absolutely sure that it had been real. His eyes snapped open as a cold shiver ran down his spine, but there was not the slightest hint of light in the complete and utter blackness and his breathing involuntarily quickened.

Danny had never been afraid of the dark; even when he was a young boy he had obeyed willingly when his mother had sent him to get potatoes or some canned fruits out of the cellar, always making fun of his younger siblings who had remained at the top of the staircase or had only gone downstairs in pairs, singing and humming to chase the darkness away.

But now he was feeling far from secure and for the first time in his life he was able to understand why his brothers and sisters might have been scared. Gritting his teeth Danny cursed the darkness when all the stupid horror movies he had watched in his youth came to his mind, unbidden and with a vengeance that took away his breath.

Scenes of 'Poltergeist' and 'The Exorcist' and 'Carrie' flashed before his eyes and Danny involuntarily started to whistle to dispel those scary thoughts. His right hand dropped to his weapon and he felt a tiny bit better once his fingers touched the cold metal.

Shaking his head in embarrassment when he realized his actions, Danny hesitantly removed his grip around the butt of his gun, clenching and unclenching his fists a few times until he was finally able to stop whistling. He took a deep breath, scolding himself for his childish behavior and reminding himself that he was a full grown man and a skilled police officer; he would certainly not freak out after being locked up in a dark cellar for about five short minutes.

"Get a grip, Williams!" Danny murmured encouragingly as he thought about his next actions, snorting in annoyance when he remembered his cell phone. With a little bit of luck he might be able to find the little device despite the complete darkness that surrounded him.

Without further hesitation he knelt down and put his plan into action. Meticulously brushing his fingers across the cold, dusty floor he started his search directly at the bottom of the staircase, working his way forward in a meandering pattern. He tried to keep his mind focused on his task but every now and then his concentration slipped and he shivered involuntarily when he thought about all the monsters, ghosts and other things that might watch for him in the darkness.

Danny couldn't believe his luck when the fingers of his left hand finally touched a familiar shape and he heaved a deep sigh of gratitude. Laboriously climbing to his feet, he immediately tried to switch on the cell phone but the display stubbornly remained dark, no matter what he did or how much he cursed.

"Okay, that was obviously a gigantic waste of time," Danny huffed out angrily, tightening his grip around the useless cell phone as he slowly turned around. Furrowing his brow he cocked his head a little bit to the right and helplessly stared into the dark; after the search on his knees he had absolutely no idea where the staircase was or where exactly in the cellar he was right now.

Stretching out his arms, Danny just took a tentative step in the direction where he expected the staircase when he felt a breath of cold air brushing the back of his neck. Whirling around, he barely contained a shriek of fear as he stumbled backwards and painfully crashed against the hard banister. Dropping the cell phone, Danny gripped the smoothly polished wood with trembling fingers and stared wide-eyed into the blackness, his ragged breathing echoed loudly in his own ears.

"Five-0," Steve's voice suddenly cut through the darkness and despite the heavy door and the distance between the two men, Danny could clearly hear the anger that radiated from his partner. "For the last time, whoever you are, show yourself. You have five seconds to step out with your hands raised above your head."

On the one hand Danny was beyond happy to hear Steve's voice but on the other hand his partner's words told him that something was definitely wrong. For the first time he actually considered the possibility that Steve hadn't been the one who had him locked up in that damn cellar and he almost felt a bit of remorse. But whatever was going on upstairs, Danny was sure it could wait another few moments; he was just eager to get away from his prison.

"Steve?" he shouted while he rushed up the stairs as fast as possible, stumbling more than once in the total darkness before he had finally reached the door to the kitchen. "Steve? What's wrong? Open the damn door and get me the hell out of here!" Danny didn't care at all that his voice was colored with fear and panic, he would deal with his partner's gloating later; at the moment he just wanted to leave the cellar and never again think of all the scary things that were waiting in the dark.

"Danny, you alright?" McGarrett asked back, the anger from before replaced by some genuine concern for his friend.

"I'm fine, but get me the hell out of here," Danny repeated, banging his fist against the old cellar door to emphasize his request. Waiting impatiently for his partner to open the door, he nervously turned his head every now and then, listening carefully into the darkness that surrounded him. He knew that his imagination was probably running riot but he had the strange feeling that he was not alone in that cellar.

"I'm right there, just a…" Danny held his breath when he heard Steve's voice trailing off mid-sentence; a sense of foreboding slowly filled his mind and he desperately tried to catch his partner's attention.

"Steve? What's wrong?" Danny shouted as he rattled the door handle but the door still stubbornly refused to open. "Steve? Come on, answer me! Let me out of here!"

Pressing his ear against the heavy cellar door, Danny listened closely, trying to figure out what was going on. He tensed his muscles when he recognized noises that indicated that a fight was in progress; a thud, a loud groan, a faint metallic sound, more groaning, the tell-tale sound of a body dropping to the floor – and then nothing.

Standing stock-still, Danny tightly gripped the door handle as he waited for more sounds or for anything else that told him what was happening outside his prison. Seconds ticked away, stretching almost to eternity in the thick darkness, causing Danny to grit his teeth in frustration before he finally heard the faint sound of footsteps through the heavy door.

"Steve? Hey man, you alright? What happened?" Danny shouted, breathing out a sigh of relief when he thought of his imminent release but the feeling of hope quickly died down when the footsteps suddenly stopped. Frowning into the silence, Danny called out for his partner time and again but he never got an answer.

"Dammit!" he cursed loudly, banging his fist against the door in anger and worry. He had no idea what had happened outside but he hoped sincerely that Steve was alright – and not only because he finally needed to get out of that frigging cellar.

Slowly turning around Danny was just about to sit down onto the steps to think about his next actions when he once more felt a cold breath of air brushing his face and neck. A cold shiver ran down his spine and he suddenly had the strong feeling that someone was standing directly next to him in the darkness.

Before he knew what happened, Danny felt a strong push to his left shoulder that made him stagger sideways. He inhaled with a sharp hiss as he tried with all his might to keep his balance on the narrow steps, his arms waving through the air, his fingers briefly brushing the cold wall but he had absolutely no chance of preventing his fall.

Stumbling backwards, Danny yanked up his arms in the vain attempt to at least protect his head. He felt himself falling for what seemed to be an eternity before he finally hit the staircase with a loud thud. Sharp pain flashed through the left side of his chest and he wasn't able to suppress the hoarse cry that built up in his throat. Tumbling further down the stairs he couldn't tell anymore which part of his body hurt the most and then he suddenly felt no more pain when the back of his head connected with the wooden banister.

Danny was out cold long before he had reached the end of the staircase, his body landing in a crumpled heap on the dusty floor of the cellar.

**(tbc)**

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Did you honestly think there would be no whump? ;-)

Final chapter tomorrow...


	4. Chapter 4

So, here it is, the final chapter, just in time for Halloween.

Thanks a lot for all your reviews, they really made my day :-)

* * *

"That's strange," Kono said pensively, furrowing her brow as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Chin looked at his cousin, wondering briefly whether she was talking about the two dead bodies they had just found in the second Miller house or…

"Neither Steve nor Danny is answering their phones," she interrupted his musings, giving him the answer to his unspoken question.

"Maybe there's no reception," Chin replied, slightly shrugging his shoulders when he noticed the hint of worry in Kono's eyes. "Or they got caught up in one of their famous arguments," he added playfully, grinning brightly when he heard Kono snort in amusement.

"Why don't we head over there and see what they're doing," Chin suggested, nodding his head toward the neighboring house that Steve and Danny were searching right now. "Then we can tell them face-to-face what we found."

"Okay," Kono agreed immediately, throwing another worried look at her cell phone before she stowed it away with a little sigh. She had a bad feeling about the whole situation but maybe her cousin was right and Steve and Danny had a good reason why they didn't answer her call. Looking back at the dead body in front of her feet, she asked hesitantly, "What about them?"

"I guess they are not going anywhere," Chin answered drily, his comment eliciting another snort from his cousin.

Contrary to Steve and Danny, Chin and Kono had started their search outside the house where they had quickly checked the backyard and the small tool shed for any usable hints about the Miller brothers. John and Jack Miller had not only lived next-door to one another, their houses were in fact completely identically constructed.

The first thing the cousins had noticed when they had finally entered the house was a cadaverous smell and they had soon found not one but two dead bodies.

The corpse of John Miller was lying between the small corridor and the kitchen, his skull clearly smashed and his face maimed almost beyond recognition. Chin was not an expert but judging from the smell and the state of decay he estimated that the man was dead for several weeks.

Knowing that the Miller brothers were nearly inseparable, it didn't take Chin and Kono long to find Jack's body. The door to the cellar was wide open and when Kono switched on the light and carefully headed downstairs she almost stumbled over the second body. Jack Miller was lying at the bottom of the steep staircase with no visible injuries except of his clearly broken neck, leaving the question open whether he had fallen or had been pushed.

"Why didn't we know that they were back on the islands?" Kono asked her cousin while they were walking over to the other house, sighing in frustration when Chin just shrugged his shoulders and slightly shook his head. "Their mug shots are posted all over the country and every police officer is watching out for the Miller brothers." She agitatedly waved her hands through the air in a way that would probably make Danny very proud. "And why did they come back here?"

"I have no idea, cuz," Chin answered quietly as they approached the front door. Holding the door open for the young woman, he entered behind her as he added, "Maybe Steve and Danny have found…"

"Oh God!" Kono suddenly interrupted him mid-sentence, rushing toward the kitchen without further explanation. Chin furrowed his brow at her sudden terrified outcry but then he saw what she had already seen and he followed her hastily.

"It's Steve," Kono explained unnecessarily, throwing a brief, horrified glance back at her cousin before she knelt down next to McGarrett's prone form. Steve was lying motionless on the floor between the kitchen and the corridor, a large pool of blood beneath his head. The blood apparently came from a large cut above his right temple and from his clearly broken nose. His face was deathly pale and even his lips seemed to have lost all their color; his mouth was slightly agape but Kono wasn't able to tell if he was still breathing.

Kono was distantly aware that Chin was talking somewhere behind her, probably calling an ambulance, but she didn't pay further attention. Gathering all her courage she slowly stretched out her hand and placed her visibly trembling fingers on Steve's neck to search for a pulse.

"He's alive," she breathed out a sigh of relief, smiling shakily when she felt Steve moving weakly beneath her hands. Steve groaned softly and his eyelids began to flutter when Kono placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and repeatedly called his name.

Turning her head, she looked up at her cousin, frowning in confusion when she noticed the stern expression on Chin's face. "Chin?" she asked hesitantly, hunching her shoulders when a cold shiver ran down her spine. "Chin? What's up?"

"Don't you think this is strange?" Chin replied hoarsely, his gaze briefly flickering toward the open cellar door. He raised his hands, pointing at the kitchen and at Steve's position on the floor. "His injuries…" his voice trailed off as he forcefully shook his head. Surely it was just coincidence that Steve was lying in the exact same place where they had found the first body in the other house and that his injuries were almost identical to John Miller's.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Chin locked eyes with Kono who slowly seemed to catch on to his thoughts and looked back at him open-mouthed.

"Where's Danny?" the cousins suddenly exclaimed with one voice, staring at each other for the blink of an eye before they both turned their heads toward the cellar door.

"Stay with Steve," Chin instructed breathlessly, already racing through the kitchen.

"Danny?" he shouted as he switched on the light and hurried down as fast as the well-trodden stairs allowed. He was unable to see anything down in the cellar because the dim light didn't reach the end of the staircase. Hitting his fist at the second light switch at the bottom of the stairs, Chin blinked rapidly in the sudden brightness when the lonely light bulb flared to life.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his teammate lying on the dusty floor of the cellar, unmoving and in almost the same position as they had found Jack Miller's body in the other house. Not allowing himself to ponder over these strange similarities, Chin quickly recovered from his initial shock and rushed to Danny's side. Placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he breathed out a relieved sigh when he saw Danny slightly stirring.

"Kono, I found him," Chin shouted upwards to inform his cousin. "Can you call a second ambulance?"

"Stop… shouting," Danny groaned hoarsely, his eyes still closed and his face contorted with pain. "Head's killing me…" he added in a pained whisper, swallowing forcefully against the rising nausea.

"Sorry," Chin replied, lowering his voice to a mere whisper as he gently squeezed Danny's shoulder. He couldn't prevent the amused grin that spread across his face; if Danny was able to complain about his situation Chin was sure that his injuries weren't too bad. "How are you feeling?"

"As if I fell down the stairs," Danny answered without hesitation, biting back a groan as he blinked his eyes open. Swallowing again, he tried to take a deep breath but soon regretted his decision when a wave of pain rushed through his chest. Pressing his left arm against his ribcage he squinted at his teammate, "What happened?"

"I have no idea, but it looks like you really fell down the stairs, brah," Chin explained apologetically, quickly giving Danny a helping hand when he noticed that he tried to sit up. "Why don't you stay down and wait for the ambulance?" he suggested, seeing the deep lines of pain on Danny's face.

"Not fallen…" Danny forcefully shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut when the movement spiked the pain in his skull. "Pushed."

"Pushed?" Chin repeated, grabbing Danny's elbow when the younger man stubbornly struggled to his feet. "Who pushed you?"

"Don't know…" Danny answered hesitantly; gratefully accepting Chin's help as he heavily leaned on his friend. "T'was too dark…" he slurred, dangerously swaying on his feet before his knees gave way. His head dropped to his chest and he would have collapsed if not for Chin's fast reflexes.

"Whoa, Danny, I really think it's better you sit back down and we wait for that ambulance," Chin repeated his former suggestion, placing Danny's right arm around his own shoulders to keep him upright. "Are you still with me, brah?"

"Where else would I be?" Danny whispered back, breathing in as deep as his injured ribs allowed and weakly raised his head. "Just get me out of this damn cellar," he insisted grimly, throwing Chin an almost pleading glance out of unfocused eyes.

Chin had no idea how he had managed to steer Danny upstairs but after what seemed like an eternity and at least a dozen breaks they had finally reached the kitchen. Slightly shaking his head when he saw that Kono had similar problems to keep Steve down, he quickly guided Danny through the kitchen and made him sit down next to McGarrett.

"And now you both stay put until the paramedics are here," Chin said sternly, throwing a worried look at his two teammates. Danny was breathing shallowly, pressing his left arm against his ribcage; cold sweat was covering his deathly pale face and he looked like he was ready to keel over at any moment. Steve seemed to be even worse off; he was equally pale as his partner but with all the barely dried blood that covered his face, his neck and half of his clothes, he looked like something that was coming directly from a horror movie. He breathed laboriously through his mouth and the fact that he also had trouble focusing his eyes clearly indicated a severe concussion.

But both men were obviously satisfied to just be in each other's company and they obediently followed Chin's instructions without showing their usual stubbornness. Exchanging a brief look, Steve and Danny slightly nodded their heads before they simultaneously closed their eyes and leaned back against the wall.

"Chin, what the hell happened here?" Kono asked in a low whisper, making sure that she didn't disturb the two injured men on the floor. Her voice trembled noticeably and she nervously knotted her fingers as she waited for an explanation.

"I have no idea, cuz," Chin answered hesitantly, shrugging his shoulders as he let his gaze travel across the corridor and the kitchen. Except Steve's injuries there was absolutely no evidence that someone other than the Five-0 team had been inside the house and he hoped that Steve and Danny were able to shed a little light upon the case once they were back on their feet. Sighing heavily, Chin turned toward his cousin and repeated gravely, "I have absolutely no idea."

* * *

Once Steve and Danny had recovered from their injuries – a concussion and three broken ribs in Danny's case respectively a concussion and a broken nose in Steve's case – Five-0 tried with all their might to find out what had happened inside the two houses. But as much as they searched, they found literally nothing; no fingerprints, no footprints, no traces of DNA. No evidence why and when John and Jack Miller had returned to Hawaii and certainly no traces of the stolen jewelry.

It would probably forever remain a mystery who had killed the Miller brothers and if that someone was the same one who had attacked Steve and Danny. There were lots of theories, maybe the brothers had come into conflict and killed each other, maybe there was an unknown accomplice who wanted to keep the swag to himself.

There were questions upon questions but frustratingly little answers and eight months later the Five-0 team was forced to close the Miller case once and for all when the real estate company that had bought the two houses decided to pull them down. Nobody wanted to rent or buy a house where two people had been killed and so it was a logical step to take them down and build a new apartment complex instead.

But these plans were also destined to fail because the contracted building company made two very interesting finds.

To begin with, the construction crew stumbled across two large steel boxes full of jewelry and diamonds, buried deeply underneath the position where the two small tool sheds had been located.

And secondly they found at least two dozen human skeletons that indicated that the whole area was probably an ancient Hawaiian Heiau. Analysis of the bones confirmed that they were indeed several hundred years old, which caused the building company to immediately stop their project.

The Kahu who had been called in to cleanse and bless the ancient burial site wasn't too surprised when he heard about the two unsolved cases of death that had occurred here. The white-haired Hawaiian just shook his head about the stupidity and arrogance of the human race – when would they ever learn not to disturb the ancient spirits?

**THE END**

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Happy Halloween! :-)

See you next time...


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